Another View...How to keep your sanity in an insane market.

Editors Note: I am always looking to share other people's views and insights as well as my own. As many of you know, the people who work in the Real Estate market are trying to make sense of what they are going through. This week I am posting the thoughts of a special guest writer. Nicole Abele is a Sales Manager with Lakewood Homes. She shares her insight on how she is coping with this dysfunctional housing market without becoming dysfunctional. RB

2002-Control it
2003-Work for it
2004-I think I am working for it (But it seems too easy)
2005-Now I think I have it
2006-Got it
2007-Trying to hold on to it
2008-Lost it

I just realized today I am the youngest person still employed by my company. Funny, I am 28 (what is considered a seasoned age at some companies) and it drives me nuts when people play the age game with me. My dad always said that you will graduate college thinking you know everything and will enter your thirties knowing you know nothing. I know nothing!

“Growing up” professionally in this industry has been such an experience. I went from being a nursing student to being part of prosperous company that sold 1,800 homes in a year. It was all about timing. I was a successful sales person mostly because I was here at the right time. For most of us (from 2002-2006) in the new home industry all we had to do is show up and know how to work fast. By doing that, we were successful.

Reality, however, kicked us in the ass in June 2006. I was just promoted to a sales manager. Lucky for me, just in time to maintain my old salary as the market took a hard hit. Unlucky for me, I had no idea what was to lie ahead.

I went from literally taking orders to “what the hell is wrong with me? I have not sold anything for a month.” All the skills I had (working quick, being efficient and creating urgency) were rendered obsolete by our housing recession. I resisted at first, thinking that this was a fluke and that if I kept doing what I did so well in the past everything would fall back into place. WRONG!

Then something happened. I sat last Saturday and listened to a client say that she was buying here because of my partner. She said and I quote “I loved his personality and his selling style. That is why I am here”. Shit, I almost fell out of my chair! “It works” I thought. Being there, being present and willing to try new things got us a sale! If I would have heard this in 2006 I would have thought “Oh how sweet”. But for all of us out there selling now…know that this kind of occurrence could just be our tipping point.

I have to say my mindset has completely changed. I always was looking at what can this market do for me. Now I am thinking… “what opportunities do I have in this market?” People, more than ever, are looking for guidance during this “housing crisis”. People still want to move, they want a new home and a safe community to raise their family. What they are lacking is the security to do so. They listen to all the negative talk on the news about the declining market. Yet, they still get in their cars and drive to our communities in hope of finding answers. What we need to do is have the right mindset and be there to give them the answers they need. Hell, we are all scared right now and our lives reflect that. This market has affected our paychecks, lifestyles and attitude. Yet we are still here and so is our opportunity. Helping people get into the home they want and can afford is still a strong desire for most people in our line of work. For us, sales people that love their jobs, we can still do this.

Making 150 to 200K a year is long gone…for now. Making 70K is a challenge but still realistic. You can choose to bail out right now…this an option. If you do not love what you do then you should probably go. If you love what you do…then stay. Try crazy things, do what you never thought you would do and for god-sake have some fun! Try it, it just might work. What you do right now may not bring immediate results (sales), but it will position you and your company for a great future.

An aside…

This past month has inspired me. Like golf, you can play so poorly for so long and think you suck. However, all you need is that one good hit (the right swing, mindset and contact with the ball) to keep you in the game. Despite layoffs, confusion and uncertainty I find myself drawn back. I feel something is happening. I do not know what it is, but I know that it is good. Take me off your list of people to worry about. One thing about me…I am always ok. I may float between extremes but it is the only way I find common ground. I like that about me (because it works for me)!

Here are some inspirational quotes and words of wisdom that Nicole likes to remember:

Terra firma ain’t so firma.

All structures are unstable.

Wisdom is knowing that I am nothing…Love is knowing that I am everything…and in between my life moves.

This too shall pass.

Whatever you resist…persists.

Chin up, shoulders back, strut a little. Don’t lick your wounds. Celebrate your scars. You are in a lion’s war. Just because you did not win doesn’t mean you don’t know how to roar. (Ok, it is from Grey’s Anatomy but I liked it. LOSER)

When you do not know what to do…do nothing.
The answer will come at the time when you have to make a decision. (That’s from Grandma got to love her)

Final Note: In the future I will be trying to strong-arm more of my friends, family, and colleagues into sharing their views. If you have some thoughts to share on leadership, life, motivation, self-improvement, sales, real estate, politics or any other worthwhile topic please let me know!

The Truth about Housing Cycles

Here is an easy to understand and informative explanation of the current housing market. I thought you might appreciate a calm and coherent antidote to all the hysteria and panic.

This cycle reminds me of a long family vacation...screaming from the back of the station wagon..."Are we there yet?" My Dad, sounding a little like John Wayne, would simply say..."No and if you ask me again...you might not make it there at all!"

Sit back and enjoy the movie...we'll be there soon!

What type are you?

Sunday morning as I was shoveling down the last bites of my breakfast, I was rapidly thumbing through the Sunday Sun-Times before heading into the office. I was half-reading...reading headlines and pretending to absorb the whole story. I landed on a story that made me stop skimming and start reading. It was titled, "The Supervisor vs. The Champion" and it featured a picture of a smiling Barack Obama next to a smiling Hillary Clinton. It was written by Emily Yoffe from slate.com.

The subtitle pulled me in..."What personality tests reveal about Dem candidates." As I read the article I recalled the test the author was referencing. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test was a test I had taken a few times. The test uses sixteen different classifications to typecast people. The sixteen classifications are also sorted by psychologist David Kiersey into four sub-groups: Idealists, Artisans, Guardians, Rationals. The different personality types draw heavily from the work of the famous psychologist Carl Jung.

I read that according to Yoffe, Hillary Clinton was an "ESTJ" (Guardian/Supervisor) and Obama was an "ENFP" (Idealist/Champion). The following day in a Monday morning article Yoffe postulated that John McCain was an "ESTP" (Artisan/Promoter). Yoffe proceeded to use these "typecasts" to outline her view of the strengths and weakness of the three Presidential candidates. While it is unlikely that John, Hillary or Barack actually tested their MBTI with Miss Yoffe present, her typecasting seemed to be plausible and accurate on at least a surface level.

As I read the article, it seemed to explain my attraction to Obama's message of hope and change while also explaining my hesitancy to embrace Hillary's message of experience and competency. You see, I am an Idealist like Obama is...in other words Barack is most similar to my type and I seem to connect with his message more readily than I do with Hillary's. I am classified as an "ENFJ" (Idealist/Teacher). David Kiersey's and Typelogic's analysis of my type seemed to be fairly accurate...plus it didn't hurt that it was really cool to be psychologically similar to people like Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, King David of Israel, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and Johnny Depp.

I don't really know if the MBTI test is much more than a HR department equivalent of a horoscope or if it is akin to a rigorous Wunderlic test administered to NFL rookie prospects prior to the draft. However, I do know that I enjoy the journey of understanding. Tests like the Myers-Briggs test, IQ tests and other silly tests like the ones you can find on Tickle.com have always been interesting to me. Perhaps it is the competitive part of my personality...I like testing myself and I enjoy the self-evaluation.

MBTI probably isn't the best way to pick a Presidential candidate but it can be helpful in understanding more about yourself. Self-discovery is always a worthwhile journey. Stephen R. Covey said it best in his book "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People". "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." If you want people to understand you, you need to understand yourself. Take some time and look inward. If you take the time to become more aware of your "self" you will likely be able to become more aware of others. So if you have some time, you can go to Humanmetrics.com to find your personality type using their short-cut MBTI test. Give it a try...

How can figure out where you are going if you don't know where you are?

Facing the challenge and rising above it.

"Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning."

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."

Those two quotes from Joseph Campbell are worth remembering while those of us in the Real Estate industry struggle to find a silver lining in all of the turmoil we currently face. As we read the morning paper and find more harbingers of bad news in the business section, we have a challenge broader than the sub-prime mortgage "crisis". We are forced to ask ourselves, "Is this what I want to do for the rest of my career?"

I think the answer depends on our goals. If we are looking for a quick and easy path to fortune and prestige, we might want to update our Monster.com profiles. However, if we are motivated by the quest for a meaningful life...now is the time to rise up. We get the chance to re-examine and maybe even reinvent our career goals.

I remember the day I first sold a new home. It was a Camden. A three bedroom, two and one half bath home on a slab. I sold it to a single guy named Tom. It was 1988. Interest rates were just dipping into the 10% range. I was a cocky "salesman" looking to make my first new home sale. To be honest, Tom would have likely purchased that home even if Pee Wee Herman was his salesman. It was the right home at the right price at the right time. Initially I was radiant in my own self-projected glory. Three days on the job and I slammed a sale! I was certain that I was destined for greatness.

As my intoxication started to wear off, I began to see things a little differently. Slowly at first. The meaning started to sink in. I just helped a complete stranger find his home...not a cell phone, a new car, a new suit, or a new bag of golf clubs...his home. I realized that this new job somehow meant a little more than just selling "stuff". I was participating in another persons life. That was an awesome revelation. And I mean awesome as in full of awe.

Like the Wizard of Oz...I was helping to grant wishes that my buyers could very well realize without my help. I was merely there to help guide them through the process. I wan't selling anything. I was helping them to change more than their address. I was helping them to find their home. Thankfully, I had this revelation early.

Without that revelation, the recession of the early ninties would have likely forced me to go get a job selling "stuff" in some other industry. Without that revelation, working weekends would have likely become intolerable. Without that revelation, making follow up calls when I should be home eating dinner would probably have become too laborous to endure.

Understanding that this career was more than just the sales process has helped me through this challenging market. Don't get me wrong. Sales awards, bonuses, and nice paychecks all make the journey more enjoyable. Closing a sale still brings a thrill that has never grown old to this day. But the awesome feeling of seeing a family find their home thanks to your guidance is the real bonus in our career. The paycheck just makes the intangible benefit into a tangible bonus.

When I am asked my opinion on the future of our industry I find myself thinking back to Joseph Campbell's quote..."Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it." These challenges will subside and new ones will replace them. The ability to find meaning is purely personal. This market is testing my stamina but not my committment. As long as there are people like Tom looking to find their home...I want to be there to help them find what they seek.

If you enjoy what you do and you strive to do it better every day the reward will find you. It may not be what we have grown accustomed to but as Mr. Campbell said, "We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."